5 Best Table Saw for Beginners

When your woodworking job requires you to put the best possible effort, you must ensure you have the right equipment to ensure the precision as well as efficient working ability.

As a DIYer person, you might find it somewhat manageable to work using a handheld saw instead of a table saw. But, if you want to add more to your skills and make the best out of the effort, today or tomorrow, you will surely need a table saw.

Here is our top pick for the best table saw for beginners that will suffice your needs and help you to level up your woodworking skill and experience.

The very first product is from SKILSAW, a well-known manufacturer in the tool and equipment industry for a long time. This table saw is ideal for DIYers and beginner level professional woodworkers. Whether it's your home project or you have to deal with light commercial woodworking, it will suffice your needs.

Although it's a beginner level equipment, the manufacturer made no compromise with the build quality. The housing is made of heavy-duty steel that can withstand abuses and impacts without much issue. Included easy-to-mount stand is also made of durable steel material that handles the weight of the machine and wood at ease.

A 15 amp motor powers this machine up, which is powerful enough to handle most applications. With 5000 rpm, its carbide tooth blade can rip through a wide variety of woods efficiently.

With its 3½ inches cut height, the saw blade can effortlessly rip through 4x materials. You will find its 20x26 inches cast aluminum table is able to accommodate the wood comfortably. There will be enough space required for most carpentry and woodworking tasks.

To get you precise cut every time, it features an EZ view measurement system that is much precise and accurate, and aligns the rip fence properly for convenience. No matter how long the material is, you will be able to rip it with high precision.

More so, you can conveniently cross cut small materials, bevel or miter regardless of the skill you possess.

You will get a folding stand for easy portability. It requires a minimum time to mount on the stand. Therefore, you can even consider unmounting the saw from the stand if necessary, and put things back in place effortlessly if need be. A miter gauge is also included with the package.

Looking for the best entry-level table saw with all necessary features without breaking your bank? This one from WORX might be the one you need. It got a lightweight and compact design that allows you to carry it around pretty much anywhere you want without trouble.

The saw can handle most of your light-duty sawing. Inside this machine, 5 assorted t-shank blades can tackle a wide variety of materials, whether it's wood, ceramic, aluminum, metal, and plastic. Its convenient blade switching feature allows you to switch materials without wasting much time.

No need to carry the materials to the saw once you have this lightweight table saw. Its portability will make your DIY projects more convenient.

Although the tool seems quite smaller, there are integrated rip fence as well as hold-down guard and splitter so that you can rip through materials with high precision. It got a storage compartment for keeping your blades and saw related accessories for convenience.

In case of any accidental starts or emergencies, you can use its safety switch to prevent pushing further. Included miter gauge allows you to precisely cut at 0-60 degrees to both the left and right sides. The manufacturer was kind enough to include a riving knife system and a traditional guard at such a price point.

Whether it's for your DIY projects or home improvement purposes, BladeRunner x2 is the best starter table saw for beginners.

Pros

Ability to cut and trim multiple materials

Comes with lots of useful accessories

Compact and portable

Safety switch

Easy to change blades for different materials

Great value for small cutting projectsGreat value for small cutting projects

The interesting fact about getting a low budget table saw is that you will get the same powerful motor that people get spending around $500. Many models also offer some useful features that are found on high-end saws. GTS10SB is one of those models that have a high-end motor with exciting features at an affordable price point.

Genesis powered up their table saw with a 15 amp motor with a torque-speed of 4800 RPM. With such an amount of speed, you will be able to rip various types of materials at ease. It's one of those motors that also takes responsibility for smooth cuttings, so you are assured about the quality here as well.

To take your DIY experiments or practice to the next level, this saw features a large sliding miter gauge that allows you to perform miter cuts from 0 to 45 degrees. Cross-cutting will no longer be an issue once you have the saw. More so, the height control of its blade allows you to achieve bevel cuts around 45 degrees effortlessly.

Equipped with a self-aligning rip fence, you can cut materials with high precision. As far as safety is concerned, the saw spots a tool-free blade guard for convenience. In addition to that, anti-kickback pawls provide added safety as well as protection while operating it.

The tool got onboard accessory storage that includes a blade holder, miter gauge holder, and push sticker holder that will further enhance your beginner level sawing-experience significantly. A 2¼ inches dust collection port is also there that will prevent sawdust and debris build-up.

It got a heavy-duty metal work stand that supports the entire saw with excellent stability.

It’s hard to find a decent performing table saw within your budget that doesn’t make much compromise with specs and features. This table saw from General International comes at an attractive price tag, and offers features that are hard to avoid.

To tackle your cutting more efficiently, it got a 15 Amp powerful motor that spins at 5700 RPM. The motor is powerful enough to handle most of your deep cutting tasks. Whether it’s hardwoods or pressure-treated lumber, this high torque motor will perform like a pro.

The circular blade of this machine protrudes quite well on the material, which results in deeper cuts without putting much effort. In most table saws, you might find a powerful motor, but the blade isn’t good enough to use the motor power effectively.

Luckily, this blade is well-optimized with the motor power to get you the best possible results. You can achieve 2 7/8 inches deep cutting at 90 degrees, and 2 5/8 inches at 45 degrees with this saw. Its ability to cut at different angles makes it easier for you to meet a wide variety of cutting requirements.

Regarding the table size, you will find its 26 inches tabletop to be more than enough to accommodate most of your material. To ensure safety while cutting, this machine also features an easy to access safety switch along with security key removal advantage.

Additional features such as storage for push stick, spare blades, and blade wrench make this deal more worthwhile to consider. Moreover, if you are looking for a table saw for occasional use, this can be a good value for the money. You get pretty much all you need without spending much.

If you are looking for a bit low powered table saw for day to day DIY projects and stuffs, you can consider looking at this product and what this has to offer. The manufacturer introduces you to a durable table saw with a decent performing motor with high torque speed. You will also get beneficial features to enhance your DIY works.

Why pay extra money when you don't need that much power? Its 13 Amp motor is able to deliver 5,000 RPM torque-speed that handles most lightweight applications quite smoothly. Ideal for DIY workers, this one will be more than enough for home renovation purposes as well.

One of the most important aspects of the table saw is the ripping capacity. Even if you need to rip through large pieces of wood, you will find this benchtop table saw wide enough to accommodate the material.

It features a 26 inches tabletop; you can further extend it if necessary. The die-cast aluminum material makes it sturdy enough to handle tough works at ease.

You can use it as a multi-purpose table saw as well. This benchtop table saw comes with an adjustable miter gauge that allows you to make crosscuts within 45 degrees to both the left and right sides. Although it's an entry-level saw, you will find it precise at cutting complicated cuts.

Its 10 inches carbide-tipped circular blade does all the things that I've mentioned above. It got 36 teeth that make ripping through wood like a cupcake.

The manufacturer cares about your environment as well, and that's why they implemented a 3 inches rear dust chute that tackles the sawdust and debris so that you can work in a neat and clean atmosphere.

Pros

Perfect table saw for handymen and homeowners

Decent rip fence

Large rip capacity

Stable operation

High-speed torque

Adjustable miter gauge

Cons

For light-duty uses only

Mostly made of plastic

Features to Consider Before Buying

Be sure to check the following features and aspects on the table saw you want to get unless you want to regret it later.

Base Type

There should be a right balance between power and mobility. Too powerful saws are heavy, thus, difficult to move from one place to another. This balance has to do with the base type. There are a few types of bases as follows –

Portable or Benchtop

These are the smallest ones and the most inexpensive as well. It's designed for those woodworkers who want an easy to carry table saw. But, this type offers a smaller space for placing wood and materials; so, you cannot cut larger materials using it. Also, accuracy isn't high compared to other types.

Hybrid or Contractor

They either have fixed lags or cart with a wheeled base. There is space to accommodate larger materials on the saw. Performance-wise, these saws can handle a wide variety of tasks, while offering you the ease of mobility.

Stationary

Finally, stationary table saws are the most expensive ones. These machines are designed for delivering extreme performance; but lack mobility. Two or more people are required to move such a saw.

Rip Capacity

It refers to the distance between the fence and the blade. If the space between these two parts is large, you can rip larger boards.

Depending on the type of wood you will be dealing with, you need to determine the capacity. For plywood and wide boards, 24 inches rip capacity is a must. You can also increase the capacity by extending the table.

Dust Collection Port

Having dust collecting port allows you to vacuum all debris and dust without giving any effort. This feature keeps your worksite cleaner, which also has positive impacts on your work.

Safety Features

As you will be dealing with a saw, there are high risks involved in it. Having safety features such as a riving knife, pushing stick, anti-kickback pawls, blade guard minimize the risk of injuries. No matter which brand you decide to go with, make sure the table saw has all of these safety features.

Durability

You need to consider the materials that the saw is made of. Metal made table saws last longer than the plastic made ones. Many entry-level saws have plastic made roll cage to cut cost. Go for one that has a steel roll cage that adds more to the overall durability of the product.

Safety Checks When Operating a Table Saw

There are numbers of injuries each year all around the world, caused by saws, including table saws. As it has a high spinning blade, it can cut other than just wood. God forbid, your finger might touch the running blade, and cause severe injury. Therefore, taking safety measurements is a must while you work using a saw.

Here are a few suggestions to maintain safety when you are about to cut wood using a table saw –

When you are about to power up the machine, make sure there is nothing on the table saw other than just wood. If there are any objects on the table, it can come close to the blade due to vibration, and lead to injury.

There shouldn't be anything on the floor that can make the saw stand move.

Make sure there is no one standing behind you as well as on the front side of the saw where the ripped wood is heading.

There should be no obstacles or bind where the wood is heading when you are ripping it into pieces. The wood should go smoothly through the blade.

The feed-out table needs to be clear so that you don't have to stop in mid-cut.

Be sure to wear safety goggles, protective gloves, and ear protection before you start the table saw. Otherwise, debris and sawdust can enter into your eyes and contact the skin. Table saws make a crazy sound; it's risky to operate such a noisy machine for a long time without wearing sound protection.

If you are wearing a baseball cap, consider turning the brim on the back. Otherwise, the wood chips, as well as sawdust, will bounce under the brim and get to your eyes.

Be very much careful about where your hands go. Make sure you use push sticks to push the narrower wood towards the blade.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who does make the best table saw?

There are a number of tools and equipment brands that make good quality table saws that perform great. Some of the most reputable table saw manufacturers are –Bosch, DEWALT, Craftsman, SKILSAW, Milwaukee, Rockwell, Tacklife, SawStop, and more.

What's the difference between jobsite and benchtop table saws?Although from the portability aspect, both of these saws are the same. However, jobsite table saws are designed for professional contractors who require to handle intensive workloads. These table saws are easy to move from one jobsite to another, that's why it got such a name. Benchtop table saws, on the other hand, can be placed on a workbench, as the name suggests. These are smaller saws for workshops and home use purposes only.

What size of the blade should I start with?You will find table saw blades of multiple sizes. For beginner level woodworking, go for a 10-inches blade, as this is will be more than enough to handle most entry-level tasks. You can get 12 and 14 inches blade depending on the workload.

When do I need a table saw?If your DIY projects or woodworking demands require you to do rip, crosscut, square, miter-cut, rabbet, dado cutting, using a table saw will make things a lot easier, and enhance the quality of work significantly.

Is it a must to wear protective gloves while operating a table saw?​Wearing gloves are highly recommended before using a table saw. This is not to protect your fingers from the blade; rather, gloves will save your skin from debris and sawdust.​

Final Words

As a beginner, stick to a basic table saw that doesn't make things complicated and makes you overwhelmed. The best table saw for beginners that this article listed are very easy to operate, and provides expected cutting results in most cases. No matter which one you get, it will surely add high efficiency to your woodworking projects.

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